Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group - NASA · The Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group (CosmicSIG) is asked to provide a paragraph (including the community’s reaction to the mission

Eun-Suk [email protected]

Inst. for Phys. Sci. & Tech. and Department of PhysicsUniversity of Maryland

Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group

APS April Meeting, April 13, 2015

PAGs and SIGs

NASA Science Mission Directorate Astrophysics Division Programs

• Exoplanet Exploration (EXEP) Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG)

• Cosmic Origins (COR) Program Analysis Group (CoPAG)

• Physics of the Cosmos (PCOS) Program Analysis Group (PhysPAG)– IPSIG (Inflation Probe SIG)

– GWSIG (Gravitational Wave SIG)

– XRSIG (X-ray SIG)

– GammaSIG (Gamma ray SIG)

– TechSAG (Technology)

– CosmicSIG (Cosmic Ray SIG) approved in 2012

The goals of the Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group (CosmicSIG) are to provide quantitative metrics and assessments to NASA in regard to current and future needs of the cosmic-ray astrophysics community and to act as a focal point and forum for the cosmic ray community.

PAG Executive Committee members are appointed by NASA with the concurrence of the Astrophysics Subcommittee, and their responsibilities include collecting and summarizing community input with subsequent reporting to NASA SMD via the NAC. Angela Olinto (2013-2015)

Eun-Suk Seo (2014-2016)

CosmicSIG Eun-Suk Seo 2

http://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/physpag/

Preparing for the 2020 Decadal Survey


The 4 mission candidates


CosmicSIG e-mail request to the community

Preparation for the Decadal Survey, 2/12/15

Dear Cosmic ray folks,

You are invited to provide your input on a set of candidate large mission concepts to

be studied in preparation of the upcoming Decadal Survey. As some of you may

already know, NASA Astrophysics Director Paul Hertz charged 3 Program Analysis

Groups (PAGs) to review these candidates and suggest additions, subtractions and

other useful comments. The full text of his charge can be found at

http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2015/01/28/White_Paper_-

_Planning_for_the_2020_Decadal_Survey_-signed.pdf

The Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group (CosmicSIG) is asked to provide a

paragraph (including the community’s reaction to the mission list, possible

modifications to that list, what questions need to be answered, and the timescale for

further plans) by 2/19, in time for a Physics of the Cosmos PAG (PhysPAG) telecon

later this month. Your quick response would be appreciated.

Although the final reports are to focus on Large missions, PAGs can also include

appendices, at their discretion, discussing Medium class (“Probe”) missions at the

<$1B level. So, you are welcome to provide such comments.


CosmicSIG’s Response, 2/19/15

• NASA's candidate large mission concepts identify four missions that will provide significant improvements

in the IR to UV, and X-ray wavelengths. However, such a program does not take research interests of the

cosmic ray community into consideration.

• As highlighted in the NASA Astrophysics Roadmap Enduring Quests Daring Visions (December 2013) a

“less apparent component of galaxies” and the intergalactic medium (IGM) are high-energy charged

particles, collectively called cosmic rays. These dynamically important particles provide about a third of

the interstellar medium (ISM) energy density, and their origin is still unclear. At low energies they may be

accelerated by Galactic supernova remnants, pulsars, and interstellar shocks, while at ultrahigh energies

their unknown sources are extragalactic. Acceleration of particles is yet to be understood processes in

astrophysical sources and their escape into the interstellar and intergalactic medium, the role of cosmic

rays in galactic dynamics, their connection to galactic and extragalactic winds and magnetic fields are

some of the questions that can be addressed with MIDEX scale missions. The direct measurements of

cosmic rays must complement the indirect information that is deduced from observations in radio to

gamma-rays and neutrinos. A comprehensive program of cosmic ray studies must be a part of

NASA’s plan.

• The bulk of cosmic ray data have been obtained with great success by balloon-borne instruments.

However, to address open questions in cosmic ray astrophysics, future missions require the exposure

offered by spaceflight for rare species, such as isotopes, ultra-heavy elements, and high energies (“knee”

and above). Isotopic composition measurements of 1 ≤ Z ≤ 28 up to ~10 GeV/nucleon that are critical for

understanding the interstellar propagation and the origin of elements are still to be accomplished. The

cosmic ray composition in the knee (PeV) region holds keys to understanding the origin of cosmic rays. In

addition to the forthcoming ISS-CREAM and CALET, a EUSO-like mission for ultrahigh energy cosmic

rays and a Super-TIGER-like mission for ultra heavy nuclei could accomplish a vision of a complete

cosmic ray observatory on the ISS. Strong support of the MIDEX category of payloads would be

needed for the completion of these missions over the next decade.


Status & Plan

• March 17-18 Astrophysics Subcommittee

• March 19 Joint PAG Executive Committee

• April 13 CosmicSIG

• April 14 PCOS mini-symposium

10:45 AM Room Key1

• May/June Joint PAG Virtual Town Hall

• June 29-July 1 Special HEAD meeting, Chicago

• August 3-14 IAU-AAS meeting, Honolulu

• August Joint PAG Virtual Town Hall

• July – Sept. Write PhysPAG report

• October 2015 Astrophysics Subcommittee


http://pcos.gsfc.nasa.gov/physpag/

Agenda

• CosmicSIG update: Eun-Suk Seo

• ISS-CREAM Status: Eun-Suk Seo

• Balloon News: W. Vernon Jones

• Antiparticles/antinuclei: John Mitchell

• Light Isotopes: Thomas Hams

• Ultra Heavy nuclei: Bob Binns

• Electrons: Brian Rauch

• EUSO Status: Angela Olinto

• UHE neutrinos: Peter Gorham

• ICRC plan: Tom Gaisser, Francis Halzen, David Kieda et al.


USA Toll Free #: 1-844-467-6272

USA Local/Toll #: 1-720-259-6462

Participant Passcode: #: 152481

Eun-Suk SeoInstitute for Physical Science & Technology

Department of PhysicsUniversity of Maryland

Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass for the International Space Station

APS April Meeting, April 13, 2015

Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass

• The balloon-borne CREAM was flown 6 times over Antarctica with ~161 days of total flight time, the longest exposure to date for a single balloon project.

• ROSES 2010 proposal: Building on the success of the balloon flights, the payload is being transformed for accommodation on the ISS (NASA’s share of JEM-EF).

• CREAM measures the energy spectra from 1012 to >1015 eV over the elemental range from protons to iron.

• It extends the energy reach of direct measurements of cosmic rays to the highest energy possible to probe their origin, acceleration and propagation.


SpaceX launch

Increase the exposure by an order of magnitude

ISS-CREAM(CREAM for the ISS) PI: Eun-Suk Seo, University of Maryland

11CosmicSIG Eun-Suk Seo

Silicon Charge Detector (SCD)• Precise charge measurements with

charge resolution of ~ 0.2e.

• 4 layers of 79 cm x 79 cm active

area (2.12 cm2 pixels).

Top/Bottom Counting

Detector (T/BCD)• Plastic scintillator

instrumented with an array

of 20 x 20 photodiodes for

e/p separation.

• Independent trigger.

Calorimeter (CAL)• 20 layers of alternating

tungsten plates and

scintillating fibers.

• Determines energy.

• Provides tracking and

trigger.

Boronated Scintillator

Detector (BSD)• Additional e/p separation by

detection of thermal neutrons.

ISS-CREAM InstrumentSeo et al. (CREAM Collaboration) Adv. in Space Res., 53/10, 1451, 2014

CREAM Integration at WFF

12



Key Decision Points and Milestones

CREAM

Submitted

Mar - 11

Science Panel

Review

June - 11

PI Notification

Nov - 11

KDP-C

Formulation Review

Apr-13

Instrument PDR

Mar-12

Launch Vehicle

Accommodation Study

Feb-12

Mission PDR w/

Space-X

Oct -12

JSC ISS & LV

Endorsement Letter

Feb-12

KDP-A

Approved FAD

Sep-12

ROSES-10

Release

Feb - 11

Selection

Announcement

Sept - 11

CREAM

Kick-off

Dec - 11

KDP-B

Phase B Review

Oct-12

KDP-D

Phase D Review

Sept-14

Launch

TBD

KDP-E

Mission Readiness

Briefing

TBD

KDP-F

Extended Mission

Proposal

TBD

BESS

ATIC

ground based Indirect

measurements

How do cosmic accelerators work?

Elemental Charge

CREAM Eun-Suk Seo 15

The ISS provides an excellent

platform for our quest to

investigate the low fluxes of

high-energy cosmic rays.

CREAM

AMS

&

ISS-CREAM takes the next major step

• The ISS-CREAM space mission can take the next major step to 1015 eV, and beyond, limited only by statistics.

• The 3-year goal, 1-year minimum exposure would greatly reduce the statistical uncertainties and extend CREAM measurements to energies beyond any reach possible with balloon flights.

Cosmic Rays 16

• ISS-CREAM

Eun-Suk Seo

Ever closer to answering long standing questions


ISS-CREAM will address specifically the

science objectives of the Advanced

Cosmic-ray Composition Experiment for

the Space Station (ACCESS) prioritized in

the Small Space-Based Initiative category

of the 2001 NRC Decadal Study Report

“Astronomy and Astrophysics in the New

Millennium.”

Documents

Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group - NASA · The Cosmic Ray Science Interest Group (CosmicSIG) is asked to provide a paragraph (including the community’s reaction to the mission